Major Japanese daily paper The Asahi Shimbum has reportedly suggested that Sony's new upcoming PlayStation console will launch this year, at a price point above JPY¥40,000 (over US$400), (via Gematsu):

“Yesterday (on February 6), it became clear that Sony Computer Entertainment (SCE) will reveal it’s new game system, PlayStation 4, which will release within the year,” reads the paper. “This is the first new model since PS3 was released in 2006, and it’s expected that there will be a rush to meet year-end sales demands between Japan and America. The price is expected to exceed 40,000 yen.”

To iron out the yen to USD conversion: PlayStation 3′s cheapest model, the 20 gigabyte SKU, launched at $500 in North America. In Japan, it cost 49,980 yen, which converts to about $535. 40,000 yen converts to about $428. If we’re following PlayStation 3 launch pricing, it’s safe to say that by ‘greater than 40,000 yen,’ Asahi is saying ‘greater than $400′ for the overseas market.

Based on the console's rumoured specifications, it is reasonably presumable to speculate at such a price point (and probably tack on another AU$100 or so Australia Tax for a local release whenever that might end up being), but we suggest taking it with a grain of salt, as it does seem unlikely that the publication would have received this information from insider sources.

Sony is widely expected to unveil the console at New York event on February 20th, but we highly doubt any pricing will be on offer then --as any internal price targets the company has at present would most likely still be subject to change, dependant on what market conditions (including both the YEN exchange rate, and competitor movements) are like closer to the anticipated holiday 2013 launch.

This seems a laughable assumption given that both the PS2 and 3 launched at the $1k mark.

The better question would be, "What is the future of Sony (and the Playstation) if they don't make an announcement by the 20th?"

Looking back over the previous (current) generation of consoles, I can't get excited about what is coming next from the established players.

Bring on the Ouya with a digital distribution only type setup.I'm sure your average 2.5 person family in Australia isn't ready or prepared (or maybe willing?) to switch to digital only, but I don't see 'next, next generation graphics and truly ridiculous development and publishing lead times' selling it really.

I couldn't be less interested in the Ouya, even way back when it first hit kickstarter I couldn't understand why everyone was getting so excited, just doesn't seem very interesting at all to me. Now I can play angry birds and words with friends on my tv instead of my phone I guess?

Sony and Microsoft would have to be asleep at the wheel to not have included a proper digital distribution pipeline into this next generation of consoles anyway. Apart from the fact its more money straight into their pocket, its also something they really need to do to stay competitive with things like Steam.

Khel, part of the charm of the Ouya is that is also an incredibly capable Media device. A PC type media center for only $99, o yeah. I've also got my eye on it for easy access to what I hope to have some quality kids games.

Overall, it looks like the Wii U sales figures worldwide are actually pretty good, though not quite as good as Nintendo was hoping for (and still slightly behind the Wii at this point in the console's life cycle). If you ask me, taking European figures into account and estimating the console's likely December sales, the total figure might be nudging towards 3 million - but that's just a guess.

There's a number of platform-specific AAA titles coming through this year that should spur adoption, a few people on this forum for example are waiting for FavouriteGameX before committing.

The Wii U is also profitable after one game sale, the console itself very slightly loses money.

I remember when the PS1 first came out it was selling for around $800, then literally 2 weeks later the price plummeted to something like $400. Anyone remember that?

I remember buying the PlayStation 2 in New Zealand in grade 8 I think it was. Bought it over there due to duty free tax, made it something like $600 instead of $800 in Australia.

I really don't see the PlayStation being priced any higher then $400 in America (meaning $500 or so here) as that kind of price point just doesn't work in today's gimme gimme age. However with a lower price tag comes the obvious lower technology inside the machine, though this would easily be offset by the amount of consoles sold. People are kidding themselves though if they think the PlayStation 4/Xbox 720 is going to be holding 8 cores and come at a cheap price, especially with the rumoured touchpad controller.

i remember going to myer with my mum when i was 8 and they had a ps1 on display with crash bandicoot. i played it for what felt like forever. my parents bought me one for christmas a month later. it was the best christmas ever.